Apple ID scam messages usually claim your account is locked, a device was added, or a purchase is about to happen. The goal is to make you click before checking the real Apple account.
Does this affect you?
Use this for suspicious emails, texts, or calls claiming to be from Apple, iCloud, Apple ID, App Store, or Apple Support.
Check warning signs before clicking
Do this without using links or phone numbers in the message.
- Reveal the actual sender address. A real Apple email should use an Apple-controlled domain, not a lookalike that only contains the word apple.
- Hover over links on a computer. Real account links should go to apple.com or icloud.com.
- Watch for urgency such as account locked, confirm within 24 hours, or unusual activity.
- Be suspicious of fake receipts for apps, games, Apple TV+, or subscriptions you did not buy.
- Apple will not ask you to text back a password, read out a verification code, or pay to unlock an account by gift card, wire, or cryptocurrency.
- Apple does not make unsolicited calls asking you to verify Apple ID or install remote-access software.
Verify directly and safely
Bypass the message completely.
- Close the email or text.
- On iPhone or iPad, open Settings and tap your name. On a computer, type appleid.apple.com yourself.
- Check Sign-In and Security for devices and account changes you do not recognize.
- Check Purchase History in Apple account or App Store settings for unfamiliar charges.
- If nothing matches, delete the message or use Report Junk for texts.
- Forward suspicious Apple emails to Apple’s official phishing-report address listed in Apple support guidance.
More control
If you entered the Apple ID password
Change it immediately at appleid.apple.com from a trusted device and make sure two-factor authentication is enabled.
If you entered card details
Contact the card issuer, monitor statements, and consider replacing the card. Review Apple ID payment methods too.
If remote access was installed
Disconnect from Wi-Fi, uninstall the remote-access software, and run a security scan before reconnecting.
Sources
- Apple Support – Identify legitimate emails from the App Store or iTunes Store (2025)
- Apple Support – Recognize and avoid phishing messages phony support calls and other scams (2025)
- FTC – How to recognize and avoid phishing scams (2025)
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